Support for clotheslines



Feb 14, 1956., J. J. ROSENBERGER 2,734,640

SUPPORT FOR CLOTHESLINES Filed Aug. 29, 1952 INVENTOR. Josephlosmer er United States Patent O SUPPORT FOR CLOTHESLINES Joseph J. Rosenberger, Mohawk, Mich.

Application August 29, 1952, Serial No. 307,088

1 Claim'. (Cl. 211-119.17)

This invention relates to clothesline supports or props, and more particularly, has reference to a support of the type stated adapted to be permanently mounted in association with a clothesline apparatus, so as to normally hold the clotheslines of said apparatus at a selected elevation, the support constituting the present invention having means associated therewith whereby the clotheslines can be lowered whenever desired for hanging or removing clothes or other articles being dried.

The device constituting the present invention is particularly adapted for association with a clothesline assembly of the type including parallel lines extending between elevated cross arms, and when mounted in association with an assembly of this type, does not interfere in any way with the hanging, drying or removal of the line-supported articles.

One important object of the present invention is to provide a permanent clothesline support or prop, which is left in place at all times for the purpose of holding the clotheslines at a normal, high elevation, whereby to prevent clothes from dragging upon the ground or other wise sagging to an undesirable extent.

Another object of importance is to provide a clothesline prop or support which will be provided with a means whereby one can lower either of the two lines supported thereby, for hanging or removing` articles.

Still another object is to provide a support of the type stated which will be capable of manufacture at relatively low cost, will be rugged, and will comprise a minimum of parts.

Yet another object is to provide a clothesline support which will be adjustable for thel purpose of tensioning the supported clotheslines to a selected extent,

Still another object is to provide a support as described which will have means associated therewith adapted to hold the clotheslines in a lowered position, said means being adjustable longitudinally of the support for the purpose of lowering the clotheslines to any extent desired.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claim appended thereto, and from the annexed drawing, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the single figure, which ligure is a perspective view of a clothesline assembly and an associated prop formed in accordance with the present invention, the full lines showing the clotheslines in their normal, elevated positions, and the dotted lines showing the clotheslines when one is pulled to a lowered position.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the reference numeral has been applied to designate vertically disposed end posts of a clothesline assembly, said end posts being formed, preferably, from tubular pipe stock or the like and being embedded, at their lower ends, in concrete 12.

Formed in each end post 10, adjacent the upper end thereof, is a transverse opening 14, receiving the midlength portion of a horizontally disposed, tubular cross arm 16.

2,734,640 Patented Feb. 14, 1956 FVice Each of the cross arms 16 is welded or otherwise ixedly connected at its midlength portion to the end post 10, and to rigidify the connection of the cross arms to their end` posts, I provide angular braces 18, the braces 18 being fxedly' secured at their lower ends to the respective end posts, and at their upper ends to the end portions of theV respective cross arms.

On one of the cross arms 16, there is provided a pair of upwardly extending, slotted brackets 20, said brackets 20 being frxedly secured to the ends of their associatedj crossarm. The brackets 20 receive chains 22, connected to clothesline 24. formed of plastic, rope, or any other suitable material;

Those ends of the clotheslines 24 remote from the ends thereof connected' to the chains 22 are provided with rings 26 engageable over hook members 28 mounted upon the ends of the other cross arm 16.

The construction so far illustrated andv described is generally conventional in a clothesline assembly, with the possi-ble exception ofthe means defined by the chains 22 and brackets 20, for tensioning the clotheslines. ln this connection, it will be understood that when it is desired to increase the tension upon the respective clotheslines 24, it is merely necessary that the chains 22 be lifted out of the slotted brackets 20, and shifted in the direction of their own lengths, so as to engage other selected lengths of the chains in the brackets.

The clothesline support constituting the present invention includes an elongated, tubular standard 30, said standard being preferably disposed at a location at which it is equidistant from both end posts 10, and is positioned medially between the respective clotheslines 24. The standard 30, like the end posts, is preferably formed of pipe material, and has its lower end embedded in a concrete base 32.

Secured in any suitable manner to the upper end of the standard 30 isV a U-shaped bracket 34, said bracket receivingv opposite ends of the shaft of an anti-friction element 36. Theanti-friction element 36, in the illustrated embodiment of the invention, is a rotatable pulley, rotating in a plane normal to the respective clotheslines 24.

As will be noted the upper end of the standard 30 projects a substantial distance above the clotheslines 24, and trained about the anti-friction element 36 is the midlength portion of a llexible support element 38. The end portions of the support element 3S diverge downwardly, in the direction of the respective clotheslines 24, and carried by said support element, at locations spaced inwardly from its free ends, are hooks 4S. The hooks 40 engage the clotheslines 24, at locations disposed medially between the opposite ends of the clotheslines, and it will thus be seen that the support element 3S will prevent the clotheslines from sagging from their normal, elevated positions shown in full lines in the single figure of the drawing.

The ends of the support element 33 depend freely from the hooks 40, under normal circumstances, and are provided with rings 42.

Mounted upon the standard 30 is' a clamp comprising complementary clamp members 44, said clamp members 44 being shiftable longitudinally of the standard 30 to selected positions, in each of which the clamp members are xedly connected by bolts, so as to tightly grip the standard and remain in the selected positions to which they are adjusted.

Projecting laterally and outwardly from each clamp member 44 is a downwardly turned hook element 46, the rings 42 being engageable with said hook elements.

It will be noted that under normal conditions, the free ends of the support element 38 depend loosely from the hooks 40.

However, if it is desired to hang clothes, or remove clothes or similar articles from the clotheslines 24, the user merely grasps one or the other of the depending ends of the support element 38, and exerts a downward pull thereupon. This' results in the hook engaged portion of the selected clothesline 24 being lowered, to the dotted line position shown in the drawing. When the clothesline has been lowered in this manner, the selected ring 42 is engaged with its associated hook element 46, and the user is thus enabled to hang articles upon the clothesline, or remove said articles, as the case may be.

After the hanging or removal of the clothesline-supported articles has been accomplished, the ring 42 is disengaged from its hook element 46, and the clothesline 24 will immediately return to its elevated position.

When one of the clotheslines is pulled downwardly, the support element 38 will, of course, shift in the direction of its own length, on the pulley 36, raising the other clothesline the support element thus compensating for the downward movement of the clothesline 24, as shown in dotted lines in the drawing. Of course, both clotheslines 24 can be pulled downwardly at the same time, since in these circumstances the hooks 40 will swing inwardly toward the standard 30.

It will be seen that a clothesline support formed in accordance with the present invention can be utilized permanently, in association with a generally conventional clothesline assembly of the type illustrated. In use, the clothesline support will normally hold the parallel clotheslines in elevated positions, and will prevent sagging of said lines. At the same time, the device is so formed as to permit either or both lines to be lowered whenever desired.

It is also considered to be an important characteristic of the invention that the construction is one that does not interfere with the hanging, drying, or removal of the clotheslines in any way.

It will be understood that the hooks 40 can be adjusted longitudinally of their associated support element 3S, and secured to said support element at any desired locations, thus to compensate for diierent distances which may exist between the clotheslines 24 of one clothesline apparatus, as compared to the clotheslines of another apparatus.

It is believed apparent that the invention is not necessarily confined to the speciiic use or uses thereof described above, since it may be utilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the invention to be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated and described, since said construction is only intended to be illustrative of the principles of operation and the means presently devised to carry out said principles, it being considered that the invention comprehends any minor change in construction that may be permitted within the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

In a clothesline assembly of the type including spaced parallel exible clotheslines carried by and extending between elevated cross arms, means for holding the intermediate portions of said clotheslines elevated and against sagging, said means comprising, a standard extending npwardly between said clotheslines, a pulley mounted on said standard for rotation above the standard about a horizontal axis which lies parallel to the clotheslines, a flexible member extending over the pulley, and connected to the clothesline intermediate opposite ends thereof for restraining the sag of the clotheslines, extensions carried by the exible member and extending downwardly therefrom within convenient reach of the user for exerting downward pull on a selected clothesline for lowering it into reach of the user, and a hook carried by the standard below the pulley for engagement by an extension and holding its respective clothesline depressed while clothes are being attached to or removed therefrom.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 229,831 Latter July 13, 1880 456,070 Taylor July 14, 1891 518,621 Norlin et al Apr. 24, 1894 842,085 Demarest Jan. 22, 1907 865,923 Lynch Sept. 10, 1907 951,185 Got Mar. 8, 1910 1,130,033 Soldier Mar. 2, 1915 1,587,527 Hoover `lune 8, 1926 2,567,270 Belch Sept. 11, 1951 

